Family traditions are the glue that holds families together through the years. As you are reading this, you may recall long-established customs or you may just be thinking about a new tradition you started with your immediate family. Regardless of the number of years you have celebrated each one, the importance of family traditions is tantamount to strong family bonding.
Small Quiz ~ ✏
Do me a favor. Take a few minutes to set everything aside…your phone, computer, tv, game, etc. Sit quietly for a moment and think about what family traditions you celebrate. Think first of the holidays. Are there traditions you do with your children that possibly your parents did with you as a child? Have you started new ones since you have become a parent? Let’s go a step further….write those down.
Now, let’s think about seasonal traditions. Activities that may not tie in exactly with a particular holiday. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…write those down too. What about nightly family rituals, such as reading a book. There may also be weekly or monthly family traditions, such as family game night, daddy dates, or family service days. Let’s not forget birthdays! Are you starting to recall more traditions than you even imagined? We cling to traditions, sometimes when we don’t even realize it.
These events have been shown to strengthen family bonds and reinforce family values. It warms my heart when my grandchildren will ask a question pertaining to a specific holiday. For instance, we love to put on our pajamas, make popcorn and hot cocoa and pile in the car to drive around and look at Christmas lights. We also always get Chinese takeout on the night we decorate our Christmas tree. The grandchildren, now at ages 3 & 6, ask each year if we are going to do it again. They remember and look forward to those special moments.
Holidays ~
There are numerous holidays: Federal, State, Religious, Observance, and Sports. There is a list below that includes some of the more known holidays here in the states, but it is certainly not all encompassing. The important thing to remember about family traditions is quality over quantity. It is so much fun to create reasons to celebrate, but don’t overwhelm yourself or your family. There is nothing more depressing than a child that is let down because a parent doesn’t follow through. So keep old traditions and maybe start a few new ones too!
- New Year’s Day
- Valentine’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Easter
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Fourth of July
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- New Year’s Eve
